#JobInterviews, #Deaths & your #feelings,#The Advice Trap -Book Review
Welcome to Sridhar’s newsletter number # 30 & Podcast (Click Play button for Audio version of the Post). Appreciate you being here, so we can connect weekly on interesting topics. Add your email id here to get this directly to your inbox (https://sridhargarikipati.substack.com).
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This weekly newsletter is mostly about the article, books, videos etc. I read or watch or my views on different topics which revolves around my head during the week. Now, let us dive into this week’s reads.
1. Netflix encourages employees to interview at other companies
May be you all know this already. No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, we talked about this book so many times in my newsletter. I am reading this book 3rd time since its released, every time one or other topic surprise me. I am also an employee, when I go over job portals and share my resume, I make sure that it’s not visible to current employer or not visible to everyone or visible to recruiters outside of my company. We all do this. This is why, how many times I have read this headline or reading this book again, this surprises me a lot.
Netflix encourages employees to interview at other companies, and they can freely talk about this with their managers and take half day leaves as well to go and do interviews. This allows them to know their employee value in the market and if they come back with bigger offer, Management will simply match it and in most cases, they will pay way premium above that, so pay is never in minds of their employees. Their main idea is that team is a professional sports team not a family. so, they all are paid as star performers. So, performing well is the only way to sustain in the job. Few think it is stressful to work in such environment, but when you work with highly talented team members, each other will raise their productivity standards even higher.
They know how to attract and retain best people at their end and compensate them so well based on market values. Other organizations control their employees with internal processes, 360 reviews, quarterly reviews, role bands, salary bands etc., all these clutches simply demoralize the employee, this is why every one to three years you will see people just move from one organizations to another. If you are a leader in your team or organization, then do read this book as it will set your mind to refresh on many topics and makes you rethink decade old principles which needs to be challenged. you will for sure understand the power of talent density, how to attract talent and create high performing teams.
Here is the link to the book, sharing again as this week it’s my read :-)
https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/1984877860
2. With so many deaths around, what’s your first thoughts?
The Covid-19 situation has created death hell around the world. Earlier there were many reasons due to which deaths use to occur across the world. Here is a snippet from world health organization for leading causes of death globally.
All these are still biggest killers and with Covid-19 pandemic, their range of killings is getting even more higher. Earlier as well when deaths happen in your known circle, your world will get shattered and after a while you or I will fight back and live in the present and still have a hope for people all around us. Now the situation is all different, as now we are hearing deaths among our own circle with so higher frequency compared to the past. Just in past one month, I got to know about one person died at age of 38 and other two at age of 51 in my own circle. I lost of my dad last year for heart attack and now within span of one month got to know about three people who died because of Covid-19 and their preexisting conditions. My very first thoughts knowing the death is shocking and at the same time it made me question myself a lot, what if same thing happens to me.
* I work so hard at work, is work really worth it. for many of us work shapes our lives, but if life itself is so short, is giving your too much to work is worth it?
* I wish myself to be that old college student again, to be with family and friends. My morning walk made me to run back home and pick up phone and called few and texted few.
* I wish I had let myself be little casual.
These were my initial thoughts since last 2 weeks. With so much happening around, writing my thoughts down is only best help I can do to myself, as it will remind me what I need to do or at least relook at it, will make me realize what is real priority in life. I recommend you all to talk about your feelings with person next to you or feel free to reach me over mail or twitter so I can be your friend.
3. Job Interviews - Don’t Look for only Hard Skills
In early stage of career, all we want is to get a job and after couple of years, we will move jobs from one organization to another. The key part which we sell is our core technical skill set. After your first job move, you will realize few things that core skill and salary are not enough to make you stay at organization, just within 2 years you will be again on same road in search of new job and will repeat the same mistake again. Only few makes calculative move, so let’s discuss few things this week which will help us for next move.
* Core Skill - make sure you go through job description clearly and discuss in detail about your roles and responsibilities.
* salary - never state your expected package first, as it leaves no room for negotiation. Be informed of market value and know their expected rate and then begin your negotiations your way. Never throw the ball into their court first for pay specially.
* Benefits - Many stops only after #1, #2. But from here on let’s talk about additional things which are must for you to stay longer at organization and give your 100% as you work there. Most companies offer many benefits to employees, like wellness programs, free learning sites access, free certifications, food, snacks, work from home etc. so do discuss.
* Retirement plans - These are 401k plans in U.S or Provident Fund in India etc. make sure you always have an employer who provides this. The age-old pension tradition is gone while ago itself, so this is your way to plan for your retirement. Doesn’t matter how young you are or even late phase, just start doing it in your first job itself. However, the small the number is keep depositing, as compounding power after 30 years of work will show up. Do choose employer who match your funds as well. i.e., say you are investing 100, then employer will invest 100 as well, i.e., 100% match. chose right products for retirement plans, leave no choice for you to skip this. Just do it.
* Life Insurance & Medical Insurance - Health sector prices will never settle down; they will just rise and rise. Again, however young you are starting a job, never accept an offer without better insurance plans. Do know about their plans ahead, as not every organization gives a better rate. You will notice this a lot, that in few organization they pay 75 % less than what you will pay a few other organizations.
* Let us talk few of most hard topics now, as even above all are good, if your team and manager sucks then it will be nightmare day in and day out. The people you work with on daily basis and their current work culture are very crucial for one’s well-being. Yes, well-being, they cannot harm you physically, but they can harm your mental health. Doesn’t matter if pay is good or its your dream job etc., if the team and company culture is not healthy then it will easily demoralize you.
This #6, I wanted to write about this in detail, but I found this week an article over LinkedIn, which summarizes this so well. We will discuss about this article in podcast edition. Few key things you can ask in the interview so you will be better aware of team culture.
* What would be my first week of training in the team, know about onboarding process into team. so, transition is easy in the first few weeks.
* What does team expect of you and what the manager expects from you on day to day or week to week etc.
* Ask about what would be your career progressions in the role you are joining after a year.
* Monitor your interview process. Yes, you are not the only one getting interviewed here. See what the interviewer behavior is, they might be your lead or boss after you join them. Do they listen well, do they accept any feedback given? In one or 2 rounds it’s hard to identify this, but if you get yourself prepared it is very easy to identify things. I suggest you just watch small 15 minutes videos in YouTube on topics like racist boss, toxic manager, less performing teams, you will pick many key things for your reference, so you can identify them quick in your interview process.
* Monitor your entire joining process, how frequently they were in touch and how they act during negotiation process etc. This will let you know if any red flags ahead before you take an offer.
Click here for more.
* https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/articles/job-interviews-how-to-spot-toxic-management
4. The Advice Trap and Staying Curious Just a Little Longer - Book Notes
Let’s talk about this book little this week.
https://www.amazon.com/Advice-Trap-Humble-Curious-Forever/dp/1989025757
If you are audio person, then listen to this podcast by Brene Brown with the author.
Staying curious for little bit longer just opens up so many good things.
The book is about Advice trap. It’s not recommending stopping giving advice to anyone, but rather it is defining different stages of advice giving in which state you are and which state the receiver is and in how many ways its good when given right and in how many ways it will exhaust you in that trap. It is a must read if you are a fixer in your group, family etc. i.e., you are right always and you have answer for your challenges and for others as well, you are the go-to person or you are the one who needs some advice in some or in all cases. Do read.
Give advice only if,
* You are trained well.
* You really want to help others and helping others is in your best interest. i.e., not to make you feel good or make you feel good as fixer.
When you are giving advice, you really don’t understand other person challenges, in such cases.
* You might be solving wrong problem.
* Or in some cases although you are giving some advice, but you yourself might not believe your advice is powerful.
Never be the fixer. It is most exhausting job ever, as you are fixing your life and their life.
Do give advice in such a way that it can have an impact on other person, it should be a right leadership act, the more you get realize about the problem then you should be able to leave the other person to figure the solution out themselves (basically empower them). for that you need to have a right guided questionnaire to do that. never allow yourself to keep forward and jump to give a solution. As when you quickly jump to advice giving, you are sending a message that you are better than them, you are harming other person to doubt their own competence.
Can you stay little curious and wait before giving advice?
This seems very easy right, when in conflict mode it is very hard to stay little more curious as you are in such a zone and feeling that what the hell it happening to me, why I should do this or not. This is the case for both fixer who is giving advice and for the receiver.
* What is on your Mind - Question yourself.
Ask this question when in conflict, talk to your self, get your answers.
* Once you get the answer, ask yourself, What Else?
Yes, this is second part of it, What Else will make yourself little more curious, as even you have answer it is allowing yourself to look for another solution. this will allow you to deep dive into your challenge you are facing.
* As you do this analysis. Look for the points to really know, what is the most challenging thing here for you. Once you ask this question, you will learn, grow, and expand on your own capabilities.
* What do you want? This adds Inspection, clarity in your mind room. It is most powerful question for yourself. As it will make you think you through your challenge again.
* Ask yourself How can one really Help, or the fixer can ask it back as well, what is the real help you need. That is like other person is hearing you, but one needs to know what exact support one need to give advice. That is why a fixer should never jump to conclusion.
As someone said, Change is not easy, it is hard in the beginning, messy in the middle but it is gorgeous at the end. When you really question yourself, why can’t I solve this issue of myself, you will have answer already, but it will require a hard change. So, you need to understand by making such changes, what is your real prize at the end.
For more, read the book.
That is all for this week. See you again.
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